The Premier's Expenses.

Manawatu Herald, 30 October 1897, Page 2

The Premier's Expenses.

For an act to be graceful it should be well done both at the commence ment and at the finish. The Opposition at the beginning did th^ right thing when thoy consented to the Premier accepting the royal hospitality of the Jubilee celebration, but they seem rather inclined, at the end, to spoil their action by a criticism of the expensps incurred. It must be remembered that the occasion was a memorable one, and if the expenses follow suit, they (the Opposition) are not to blame, and they might readily let the blame for their amount, if there is any such blame, rest upon the shoulders of those responsible for the outlay, i The Premier refused, before leaving, I

to state auy sum, and having been allowed to leave on these terms it is useless now to complain. For our part we believe the expense the country has been put to has been of very much value to it, and thus any item in the amount is not worth troubling about. The fact is patent that the voice of the people has been given in Ml* Seddon'a favour time after time, and as he has thus worked hard for the colony he deserved the holiday he obtained, and if this so agreed, why should we spoil his holiday by grumbling at the cost. After all, as far as we can nee. the Opposition do not object to £1000, but find a difficulty in swallowing the other £700, but what is the latter amount, even if it does strike a critic as being rather nluch ? On the other hand we, with dome little knowledge of Home life, doubt it the expenses are much out of proportion to the hospitality extended | to this colony through the Premier. I tie was permitted to go Home as the guest of our Sovereign, and as the representative of New Zealand, and thus occupied a position which had to be lived up to. The statement j that as he was provided with free ' quarters his expenses should have been little only shows how easily it is for ad outßidftrto overlook patent facts. In the Old Country a most expensive, and to our mind, objectionable practise exist*, whereby a truest at any gentleman's house, or at any of the houses of the nobility, even in tb> rojfal palaces, for guests to fee " tip " or make presents to every servant of the establishment who can found the slightest right to recognition for services rendered. As the higher yoii get in society visiting so much higher 3o the fees get which have to be dispensed to those who attend you, and this fact has been found a very great tax on •he poor.T friends of the wealthier classes. Though we have not seen the items pt the Preiriier'g disbursements we feel sure that the outlay in ;hi3 manner to those who attended tj his wants, whilst a guest at the Hotel Cecil, will be found very heavy. The expenditure too Was not for the Premier alone, thera is Mrs Seddon also to be accounted for, as the invitation was addressed to her as well as to her husband. There is just one loop-hole for the pure economist to find a, to him, reason able objection to these costs, and would be in the fact that the Misses Seddon also accompanied their ptCrents. To this, whilut admitting that there may not be a shadow of right in the Premier including them in his suite, yet all those who are parents will feel that he was right, on. such an occasion, in unduly stretching the power he was possessed of. We feel that having agreed to our Premier accepting such a glorious opportunity, he was right to make the most of it for his own enjoyment and that of his family, and bow could he have done that by leaving his daughters behind. Let us finish up our gracious Sovereign's Jubilee in a fitting manner by he irtily congratulating the Premier and his family on' the good luck which was theirs and by paying the bill without further grumbling.